Brown I'd like to see them keep but I fear that he's earned a bigger payday elsewhere .... in the range of the taxpayer MLE , a little over $5m next year on a contender who needs a knock down shooter .... He could have a 50/40/90 season. Nwaba I like but not for this team .... Just not a good enough shooter. He needs to be on a team with an established star who can carry the scoring load while Nwaba does the dirty work.
Who is a lock to be on roster next season: Kpj Wall (unmovable until final year most likely) Wood Tate Kmj others under contract but movable We need some three and d Another big, great if we found one able to play alongside Wood at times And an athletic swing man if Tate and the Juniors take a leap forward and Wall maybe learns how to play with others in his current body, I think we are in a good place. If those three progress again after next season, and we can offload Wall we are in a place to snag a max type player to put alongside what is hopefully an all star Wood and maybe even KPJ.
Why? Because he can hit threes on occasion? I’m not all that impressed. If nwaba was more consistent this season w his shot I’d definitely want him long term. High energy on ball defender. He can deliberately guide people to the weak side block by Martin.
D-R, great video--really enjoyed it--thanks for sharing! However, I believe it makes a strong case for Olynyk. He's perfect big to play in the 5-out. because he can shoot the 3, has great court vision and is a very good passer, plus he can cut, post and finish at the rim. He compliments Wood in so many ways and also takes some pressure off him in low post defense and rebounding. With that said, I look at the draft and see all the top guys working in this type of flow, but Evan Mobley gives us a young big with all of the skills that can make that offense run efficiently. Those guys are fewer and far between so I'm leaning that we luck out and get him, but we also need great 3-pt shooters as well. Really excited to see if Silas gives Brooks some opportunities soon. He looked really strong in the G-League and I'm eager to see if that translates for him at the NBA level.
I don't see a scenario in which DJ Wilson is not re-signed. He's young and will get more minutes with us than he will elsewhere and he was the key young piece in the Tucker trade. The team will almost assuredly pick up Bradley's option. It's low cost for a player of his calibre, and I can see him as a player they'll look to trade in the off-season. As the asking price for inferior talent continues to climb, good teams that have high payrolls will be clamoring for a role player who costs little and has experience performing in big games. Bradley brings that to the table. My guess is we see the team try to move him at the draft, most likely for a second rounder or alongside one of our firsts to improve draft position if we can move up a few spots. I think the team likes Olynyk but I'm not sure they re-sign him. He's on a pretty reasonable contract today, but a stretch 4/5 with good postseason experience will probably command something in the 15-20M/year range. My sense is this is why Miami let him go in a trade - they knew he had outpriced the team and was gone in the offseason anyways. I don't think we'll be able to get rid of Wall until his last year under contract, maybe at the deadline. I don't think we'll get much back for him unless he drastically improves between now and then. Frankly, I see an issue soon enough if/when we acquire a good young PG that should be starting over him and how we manage moving him to the bench. That probably won't happen this season.
If we plan on keeping dj (which I’m totally for), then I hope we start playing him more. Silas needs to get his head out of his ass and start playing olynyk/dj with wood at times...they can easily work together also if olynyk isn’t priced out of our range then I’d love to keep both him and Wilson I want to keep nwaba and brown, too wall/augustin Kpj/Gordon (trade)/brooks Cade/nwaba Olynyk/kj Wood/Wilson it’s just the start of a young rebuild with olynyk as a high iq vet hat can help find people on offense and nwaba as a gritty defender that sets a tone That being said, I bet Kelly o gets priced out if y’all can’t tell, I’m bored since I couldn’t come back to Houston for Easter
olynyk had to leave Miami as they want to sign players and he, Iggy-for-3 but only against the Rox, and the lefty Euro guard take up more $$$ than Wall. KO may get 10 on a let’s see or, if he’s fortunate, 3/40. Wall. Must. Be. Stretched. This will allow Wood II to be id’d and paid/signed. The Lotto gawds Must. Smile. Upon. TheToyShop. With a Top-40 outcome.
Olynyk & Brown are exactly what we need over the next few years to help grow the team. Both are two way players that can play with anyone at multiple positions and make other players better than what they are —> teach the youth to play. Both can start or come off the bench both are fill any role because they are multifunctional and serviceable. Does Stone pay them or find more just like them? He should pay them to build the foundation to help develop the others. Not as the cornerstone core players but as the stability to work from aspect. Yes both are more than replaceable but why they are already here. I personally would pay market or a little higher to keep them. Both need 3 year deals which will make them easily traded in 2 years —> after the youth has some seasoning & the overpay will be an expiring contract at that point.
True, we need to see more of DJ Wilson. In 10 games with Rockets he doesn't have bad projected out 36-min numbers: Points............rebs...........stl.........blk...........3PM........3PA..........3P%............ 16.6................9.7............0.9........1.5............2.7..........6.4...........42.9............ Rule of thumb: you are classified by position by who you can guard defensively. So I have Cade as SF, because I see the Rockets having him guard SF's most of the time. I have Evan Mobley as a SF because I have him guarding SF's most of the time. Olynyk as Center because I have him guarding the centers while Wood guards the PF's. PG) Wall................Augustin SG) Porter jr..........Eric Gordon SF) Cade...............Tate / House /KM jr. .............[Trade House in off season] PF) Wood..............Alize Johnson C) ( Olynyk FA).......(FA) / C Bassey (move up in 1st rd by using later picks) I don't Sterling Brown or Nwaba coming back. Olynyk is perfect fit for Rockets offense and is big enough to make Centers go around him (allowing help defense to assist defensively). I think the Rockets should offer as high as $15M for him to come back. Hopefully get him for less. DJ Wilson qualifying offer is set at around $6.4M. Alize Johnson would be cheaper option with greater upside. Says a lot of the Rockets don't play Wilson much in the final 22 games remaining. In their minds they have seen enough of him? Could he be that FA signed to back up Olynyk? That's 13 players with the drafting of Cade and Bassey an adding Alize and Olynyk in my scenario. Trade of House brings it to 12 if no player comes back in return. I don't see room for Nwaba/Sterling. Unfortunately the Rockets will need to play Eric Gordon.....but his 18 pt's a game is nice also.
Whatever discount Wall wants to give Tilman on the $ he has left on his contract...which would probably be anywhere between 0% to 5% if I had to guess.
Very good course of action laid out here. I could easily see something very close to this happening. I only have 2 critiques: First, I think Bassey is available at the Rockets 22nd or maybe even their 26th pick. I love Bassey as some muscle in the paint off the bench and think that it would give Hakeem is last project to work on before he is too old to be twirling around on the court. The fact that Bassey is a fellow native of Nigeria makes it that much better of a story. Given that big men arent valued the way they were in the past and the fact that guys like Kofi Cockburn and Neemias Queta can probably be selected deep into the second round, I see Bassey as being available later than you seem to think he will be. The second thing KMart at the 3. While I think that is the best place for him given his lack of size/length, I worry about his ball handling and his shot. For both of these reasons I would really only change adding a Josh Christopher or Marcus Bagley with one of the Rockets picks in the 20s to this plan.
Each good players as well, but it's about fit as well. Rockets only have so much room in the shopping cart. Hard to fit in Nwaba, Sterling Brown, House, KM jr, and bigger projects like Queta or Cockburn. Bassey is already doing much of what I need him to do at the next level. At one point this season Bassey lead the nation in both blocks and dunks. Can shot some 3's so we can maintain spacing and has some nice hook shots, jump shots, runners in the lane. Rebounds, set screens, runs the floor like a SF from end to end, shot blocker and lob ready player. Here is a tale of the tape between each: ........................Cockburn.............Queta...................Bassey............... Height..................7'0".....................7'0"......................6'11"................. Weight.................285.....................245......................235.................. FG%.....................65.4%.................55.9%...................59.0%............... 3P%........................0%......................0%......................30.0%............... Rebs......................9.5.....................10.1.....................11.6.................. Blocks...................1.3......................3.3.......................3.1................... Points...................17.7....................14.9.....................17.6.................. FT%.......................55.3%.................70.7%..................75.7................... One scout questioned Evan Mobley putting on weight and speculates that if Mobley puts on weight then he loses his SF like quickness.....I agree. I don't really want a big guy like Kockburn at center. I'm looking for more of a mobile big center that can run the floor like Bassey that has a motor that doesn't quit. Unfortunately I don't think the Rockets can find a place for all of these picks that we have coming unless we are still tanking. No room for many projects. Why risk missing out on him at pick 22 when you can get him at pick 17? He is what we need and fits Silas system to a T. https://watchstadium.com/videos/western-kentucky-c-charles-bassey-film-study/
If the Rockets are able to select Cade then I am fine adding only Bassey. Aside from letting the team mature they will really only need to shore up the defense at that point. If they go Mobley then I think they still need Bassey for the beef he provides in the paint compared to Wood and Mobley. but they still need some more offensive firepower (where Christopher would come in). Make no mistake I am also all about Bassey. I think he is, at worst, Cauley-Stein. I mentioned several BIG big guys but there are more Hukporti, Sharpe, Badji and Cisse are also out there as centers available in the draft. With that supply, demand is lower and players fall down the board.
